Fiery Steel
by dme1994
Summary: A threat to the Blaze family's reputation drives Denise to risks and danger as she sabotages a plot of an evil organization. Despite her skills as a strong trainer, Denise still risks her safety for the sake of her family, friends, Pokemon, all of Hoenn, and maybe even the world. She not only faces danger, she also faces something unexpected - love. I DO NOT OWN POKEMON.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

The slightly damaged indoor battle field remains silent. I stand on one end of the field, gazing sternly ahead of me. My eyes are locked with the trainer at the opposite end of the battle field. His bright blue eyes stare straight into mine with a stern gaze as he grits his teeth.

"Your demeanor is quite great," I say to the young trainer. "I like the sense of confidence and spirit I get from you." I take my Poké ball from my belt on my right side and click the round white button to make it expand. "However, you're down to your last Pokémon."

I toss my Poké ball up into the air. It pops open with a streak of white light hitting the battleground, revealing a Mightyena. It stands on its four legs in a battle stance, flattening its body a bit as it growls deeply. A picture of Mightyena appears on the large screen on the wall next to the field with the bar of its health points.

"Give it your best shot," I say as I gaze sternly at the trainer after catching my Poké ball.

"Alright!" the young man says as he takes his Poké ball and tosses it into the air. "Go, Spinda!"

His Poké ball pops open with a streak of light hitting the battleground, revealing a Spinda. It gazes at Mightyena and its ears lower a bit in intimidation.

"Go, Spinda! Use Faint Attack!" the young man commands.

Spinda listens and charges and strikes at Mightyena. Despite all the force Spinda seems to have used, Mightyena is not affected or damaged. Spinda looks up at Mightyena with a sweat drop in surprise. Mightyena gazes down at Spinda with its red eyes as it growls deeply.

"Use Crunch, Mightyena!" I call out.

Mightyena opens its mouth widely, lunges at Spinda, and begins to bite it numerous times. Spinda winces in pain as it struggles to escape Mightyena's strong bite. After a few attempts, Spinda manages to pull itself away, landing a few feet on the ground, still wincing at the damage it took. Spinda's health bar goes down more than halfway. The young man stares at Spinda in surprise for a moment, not knowing what to do.

"Now, finish this with Strength!" I say to Mightyena.

Mightyena flattens its body a bit and then lunges itself at Spinda in quick speed. Spinda is struck and is sent flying back numerous feet from the momentum. It lands on its side a few feet in front of the young man, not able to move. Spinda's health bar is now completely empty, prompting Mightyena as the winner. The young man kneels down to the fainted Spinda and holds it in his arms.

"You did your best, Spinda," the young man says as he holds his Poké ball out and has Spinda return inside it.

"You battled well, Mark," I say as I walk up to the young man with Mightyena on my right side. "You posed a lot of good strategies, and I can tell you work well with your Pokémon."

"I challenged all six of your Pokémon, and I didn't beat a single one!" Mark says with an admiring smile as he stands upright. "But I don't get why my Spinda's attack didn't work on your Mightyena…"

"It has to do with the type of the attack your Spinda made," I begin to explain.

Mark looks up at me with a confused look.

"Faint Attack is a Dark-type attack," I continue to explain. "Mightyena is resistant to Dark-type attacks, so they have no effect," I say as I pet Mightyena on the head. "As a Pokémon trainer, you should learn to be more aware of information like that; it can improve your strategizing."

"Ahh, okay! That makes total sense!" Mark exclaims. "That'll be helpful advice when I challenge my next gym leader!"

"Before you do, you may want to polish up some of your training," I advise with a smile.

"Yeah, no doubt," Mark says with a sweat drop as he rubs the back of his head as he smiles. "I really appreciate you taking the time to train me, Denise! You and Jason are really skillful trainers."

"Aw, I'm flattered to hear that," we hear someone say.

We turn and see a tall man with messy brunette hair. He is wearing a dark-green shirt under a thin black jacket and dark-brown jeans. He walks up to us with a friendly smile while gazing at us with his auburn eyes. I notice he's carrying a Poké ball case.

"I didn't expect to meet both famed Blaze siblings in one day!" Mark exclaims in excitement.

Jason and I chuckle. Mark looks up at us with an admirable smile and then quickly looks at his wristwatch.

"Yikes! I'm almost late for lunch! My mom will kill me if I miss it," Mark says in surprise. "I will keep the advice you gave me in mind, Denise! I won't let you down!"

"I'm sure you'll do great, Mark!" I say as I use my right hand to mess with his light brown hair.

Mark then gives us a nod and heads out through the battlefield sliding doors.

"You should really consider being one of my challenger trainers here at the Tower," Jason says turning to me.

"I think trainers have enough trouble facing _one_ Blaze sibling, let alone two," I joke. "Besides, Blaze Tower is yours – I wouldn't want to steal your spotlight. Having this battle tower has been your dream since you were a kid."

"Well, at least you train Pokémon trainers here occasionally," Jason says as he places a hand on his hip. "But you should consider starting your own establishment like I have. Dad's got the corporation and I have this battle tower. You should establish your own dream, too."

"Oh, I will," I say as I kneel down to Mightyena and begin to caress its dark fur. "I just haven't come up with a clear plan of what it is I want to do…I know I want to continue my strong passion for Pokémon…Like mom had, you know?"

Jason gazes at me with a warm smile and nods.

"What are you doing with that, by the way?" I ask as I turn my attention to the Poké ball case he's carrying.

"Oh, yeah. I almost forgot," Jason says. "Dad wanted me to tell you that he needs to see you. He said he needs a favor and for you to meet him at 3p.m. in his office."

"A favor?" I wonder as I continue to pet Mightyena as it happily rubs its head against me. "I wonder what it could be…"

"That's why I brought you your main Pokémon. I know you use your less skilled Pokémon when training Pokémon trainers," Jason says as he opens the case.

"Thanks," I say as I take the five Poké balls from the case and switch them with the ones I have on my belt. "I have Mightyena with me already since I used him in the battle. I wanted to use at least one of my strongest Pokémon to spice things up in my battle with Mark."

I take Mightyena's Poké ball from my belt and return him inside it. After placing all of my Poké balls on my belt holsters, I glance at the clock on the wall nearby.

"Well, I guess I better head out to meet dad, then," I say with a sigh. "It's 2:45a.m. I think I'll just fly there. I'll catch ya later!" I wave to Jason as I quickly make my way through the sliding doors.

I run through the Tower's lobby and out the front entrance. The sun's bright light shines outside with little wind. I take one of my Poké balls from my belt and release Charizard from it.

"Beautiful weather to fly around Mauville City," I say to Charizard as I climb on its back. "To my father's office!"

Charizard nods and quickly takes off with a flap of its large wings. A little girl looks up in amazement at Charizard and me as we fly off.

"My dad is going to ask me for a favor," I say aloud to Charizard. "I wonder what it could be."

The breeze blows through my messy, long black hair. My red shirt flutters a bit with the wind over my black jeans. I gaze down at the city. The streets are occupied by some cars and people walk about on sidewalks. Charizard begins to fly toward a large black ten story building near the center of the city. A large sign on top of it reads _Blaze Corporation_ with a fireball as its logo.

"Let's head for the balcony of my dad's office on the tenth floor," I tell Charizard as I pat him gently on the neck.

Charizard slightly tilts to the right to fly toward the balcony. The large sliding glass door is open, and Charizard flies in. The gusts of wind from Charizard's flapping wings cause the plants nearby to flutter as we stay flying in midair. I look toward the end of the room and see my father sitting at his desk, covering his face from the gusts of wind. Another man with a white beard is standing in front of his desk, covering his face as well.

"You don't fancy doors, do you?" my father exclaims aloud to me.

I jump down from Charizard's back after he lands on the floor.

"You know me; I love making good entrances," I say with a smile as I return Charizard back into his Poké ball.

"You and your brother take a lot after your father," the man with the white beard says with a chuckle. "Your father was quite the show stealer back when we were younger."

"Makes sense as to why you and my father are childhood best friends, Wattson," I say as I walk up to them.

"Sometimes I wish they'd taken after their mother's calm nature," my father warmly jokes.

I smile sheepishly.

"Sorry if I interrupted anything," I say while rubbing the back of my head. "Jason told me you wanted to meet me at ., so I didn't expect you to have anyone here at this time."

"No, Wattson and I were just catching up," my dad says.

"I've got to run anyway," Wattson adds. "The gym isn't going to run itself, ya know."

"When are you and Jason going at it in a battle again? You guys haven't in a long time," I say to Wattson as I take a seat on one of the couches in front of my dad's desk.

"Well, he's been awfully busy running Blaze Tower," Wattson explains. "I respect that he has the responsibility of running it like he respects the responsibility I have running my gym."

"That, and you know he'd also cream your Electric-type Pokémon with his Rock-type," I tease.

Wattson and my father let out a chuckle.

"She has your humor," Wattson tells my father.

"And her mother's intellect," my father adds.

"Indeed, both Blaze siblings do," Wattson says. "Well, I won't further postpone your meeting. I'll catch you later!"

Wattson waves us goodbye as he walks out of the office. I reach over to the basket on the coffee table in front of me and take an apple.

"So what's the favor you wanna ask?" I say before taking a bite out of the apple.

"I need you to deliver some documents for me," my father begins to explain. "I've signed a contract to partner with Devon Corporation."

"Congratulations! I know how much you've wanted that to happen."

"Thank you, dear. The documents I need you to deliver include the signed contracts Mr. Stone sent. He's the president of Devon Corporation."

"When do you need me to deliver the documents?"

"I was hoping you could head out today. I know your brother is busy running Blaze Tower, so you're my only trusted option."

"That's no problem at all," I say as I toss the finished apple into the garbage bin next to his desk. "Devon Corporation is located in Rustboro, correct?"

"Yes, west of Mauville past Verdanturf City," my father says as he walks over to me with a portfolio envelope in his hands. "Mr. Stone has told me that he has been facing trouble with people attempting to steal his devices and work. That is why I am entrusting you with this delivery; I know you're a highly skilled trainer and can handle your own."

I stand up and face my father as he holds out the filled portfolio envelope. He looks me firmly in the eyes as I place my hand on the large, brown portfolio envelope.

"I want you to be extremely careful, Denise," my father cautions. "These people that Mr. Stone has mentioned are said to be dangerous. They've also taken an interest in Blaze Corporation. I need you to understand that this is serious and that I want you to be safe."

I am a bit taken aback at my father's precaution but give him a firm gaze.

"Don't worry, dad. I'll be careful," I reassure him.

My father stares at me for a moment with a warm but worried gaze.

"I just can't afford to lose you or Jason…I promised your mother that I wouldn't let anything happen to either of you…"

I stare at my father and then take the portfolio from him.

"I'll grab something to eat first with Mireha before I head out," I say.

"Oh, and don't tell Jason where you're going and any details," my father says. "If he finds out about the people Mr. Stone mentioned, he's going to try to stop you from going. You know how much of a big brother he is."

I laugh at his remark. I walk over to the large open window and send out my Charizard. After tucking the portfolio securely under my right arm, I stand in thought for a moment.

"You did well raising us these past eight years since mom died," I turn to say to my father with a warm smile. "I'm sure mom would say the same."

My father returns the warm smile and gives me a thanking nod. With that, I climb onto Charizard's back and fly out of his office.

"We'll head to Mireha's first before we leave for Rustboro," I say to Charizard. "I'm gonna need some stuff from her for the trip."

Charizard nods and flies in the direction toward Mireha's place.

We arrive at Mireha's house. Charizard lands in front of the light-blue painted two story house, and I return him inside the Poké ball. I walk up the wooden porch steps and ring the doorbell next to the red front door.

"Coming!" I hear a familiar voice call out from inside.

After a moment of waiting, the door opens. A young woman, same age as me, with brown hair in a pixie-style haircut peers out from behind the door. She peers at me with her light brown eyes and a smile spreads across her face.

"Denise! How nice of you to come!" she exclaims as she fully opens the door.

"Hey, Mireha," I greet as I return the smile. "You got time for lunch?"

"Yeah, my mother just finished making some soup and sandwiches, actually," Mireha says as she motions for me to come in. "I'm sure she won't mind you dropping by unexpectedly. We're all used to it, anyway."

I chuckle at her remark as I make my way in. Mireha closes the door. Suddenly, a Raichu runs toward me and leaps into my arms.

"Hey there, Raichu," I say with a smile as it snuggles itself happily against me. "Can we eat somewhere private? We need to talk…" I say to Mireha in a low voice as Raichu climbs to the top of my head.

"Yeah, we can eat outside on the bench tables," Mireha responds, a bit concerned about my secrecy. "Is everything okay?"

"I'll tell ya once we're outside…" I whisper as we make our way into the kitchen.

"Denise!" an older woman says excitedly as she places bowls of soup on the table.

"Mildred!" I humorously exclaim in the same manner.

"You never cease to surprise me with your random drop-ins!" she says as she walks over to give me a hug, causing Raichu to jump from my head onto Mireha's shoulder.

"Yeah, well, it would be boring if I came on a set schedule," I joke as I give her a hug. "Gotta keep things spontaneous, ya know?"

"Denise!" two girls simultaneously yelp in joy from behind.

I turn and am embraced by four arms belonging to two girls. They peer up at me with their identical light brown eyes and dark brown, semi-long hair.

"Hey there, Kiara and Jazline," I say with a smile as I hug back. "How are my twin girls today?"

"Good!" they answer in unison.

"All right, time to eat lunch!" Mildred announces.

Kiara and Jazline quickly make their way to the kitchen table and sit in their chairs.

"You're dad at work?" I ask Mireha.

"Yeah, you know the deal," she replies. "Mom, Denise and I are going to eat lunch outside."

"Okay, make sure you take all the food and drinks you need," Mildred says as she takes a seat at the kitchen table.

Mireha grabs two rectangular trays from the top cabinets above the counter and hands one to me. We both place our bowls of soup, a sandwich, a rice ball, and ice cold lemonade on the tray to carry outside. Raichu manages to grab a rice ball, too, while still on Mireha's shoulder. We walk through the screen door that leads to the backyard and walk over to the bench table. I glance around at all the small Pokémon in the large, fenced backyard wandering about. Some are playing with one another while others are sleeping or simply laying in the rich green grass or garden.

"So, what's going on?" Mireha asks as we place our trays on the bench table and take a seat.

Raichu leaps off of Mireha's shoulder and sits on the table to begin munching on the rice ball.

"I'm leaving for Rustboro," I say as I place my spoon in my soup.

"You're _what_?" Mireha asks in surprise. "Better do some explaining, missy!"

"I'm going to deliver some documents to the president of Devon Corporation for my father," I begin to explain. "My father has signed a partnership contract with Devon Corp. and wants me to head over to Rustboro to deliver it to the president."

"Why you? Why not one of his assistants?" Mireha says before eating a spoonful of soup.

"He needs someone he can trust and someone who can protect him or herself," I say as I slurp up my soup from my spoon.

"What do you mean _protect_?" Mireha asks as she eyes me suspiciously.

"According to Mr. Stone, the president of Devon Corporation, there are some people who are trying to steal his work and devices," I continue while munching on a bite of my sandwich. "These same people have started to take interest in Blaze Corporation and may give my father and his company some trouble…My father has entrusted me with these documents to deliver to Mr. Stone," I say as I hold up the brown portfolio.

"Are you serious? You don't know how dangerous it can be!" Mireha says in concern.

"I know…" I say after swallowing some of my sandwich. "But I have to do it in order to help my father. I'm doing it for him. This means so much to him…Besides, I'm a highly skillful trainer. I know how to handle my own with my strong Pokémon."

"I know you're skilled," Mireha says. "You and Jason are known for your skills in Mauville and even outside of the city…But things can _still_ happen, Denise. You can still get hurt."

"Yeah…" I say gazing down at my food. "Just please don't tell Jason. My father didn't tell him in fear that Jason would try to stop me from going."

"Uh, I can't make any promises…" Mireha replies nervously with a sweat drop.

I let out a small laugh. Raichu lays on the table flat on his back after finishing the rice ball.

"It's okay…Rustboro is just some three hours from Mauville," I say before finishing my soup. "I should arrive there before he even finds out."

"Doesn't mean he can't kill you when you come back…" Mireha mutters before taking a sip from her lemonade.

I let out a chuckle.

"I'll need some supplies from you," I say as I take a bite out of my rice ball.

"Like what?"

"Just some Poké blocks and berries for my Pokémon. You know which ones they like and I trust how you make them. You're the best Pokémon breeder in Mauville."

"I gotchu," Mireha replies after taking a bite out of her rice ball.

"Thanks," I say as I smile warmly at Mireha. "I'll stop by my place and gather up the rest of my supplies."

I take the last bite of my rice ball and then take a sip from my lemonade. Mireha finishes her rice ball and takes a bite out of her sandwich.

"You sure you're going to be all right?" Mireha asks in concern as Raichu leaps on to her lap.

"Yeah. I'll only be gone for no more than a day, and I'll be back in no time!" I reply with a sheepish smile.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

The moonlight shines onto the forest. A light breeze blows through my messy, raven black hair as I continue to make my way down the dirt trail.

'Nice to walk out in the evening like this…' I think to myself as I keep my gaze down at the pathway. 'I had to give Charizard some rest for quite some time after flying from the cave in Verdanturf.'

I turn my gaze up ahead and see lights of buildings and streets. People are wandering about, doing their business. A half-smile appears on my face as I continue to make my way toward the city.

'Rustboro city,' I think to myself. 'Haven't been here since I was a kid…Jason's been here a few times to visit Roxanne, the gym leader, since we were teenagers…Funny how her mentee now has his own battle tower. She taught him well.'

I make my way down the sidewalk of the street toward a large map that reads _Welcome to Rustboro City_ on top. I stop in front of it and adjust the straps of my black backpack. The icons on the map consist of Pokémon Centers, police stations, the gym, and other places. My eyes scan the map and land on the icon that reads _Devon Corporation_.

"Just down two blocks and turn left," I say to myself. "I should be there in ten minutes."

I then head down the block past an elderly couple.

'I still need to think about what I want to do with my life…' I think to myself. 'Jason and dad have their own establishments…I want to start a legacy for myself, too…But _what_?'

I reach the end of the block and stop at the crosswalk at the red hand signal. Cars that were waiting at the red light now drive forward. My eyes look around at the steady paced environment.

'It's similar to Mauville,' I think to myself.

My attention is then brought on a black car that slowly drives in front of me. I gaze into the dark window tint and see the driver gazing back at me with a hostile look. He turns right at the corner I'm standing on and continues to drive down the street.

'That was odd…' I think to myself. 'I just have to act normal as if nothing happened...I don't think that was just any ordinary eye contact.'

The green light turns red and the signal to walk lights up. I casually cross the street past some other people.

'I have to keep my guard up,' I think to myself as I continue to make my way down the block.

I reach the end of the block and turn left. My eyes catch the sight of a tall brown building about ten stories high. The large company sign reads Devon Corporation to the left of the entrance.

"Well, this is it," I say to myself.

The thick, sliding glass doors open as I approach the entrance. Six tall men in security guard uniforms stand inside on both sides of the entrance. I make my way toward the front desk where a woman is sitting behind and a tall man in a security guard uniform is standing to the left.

"Hello, I'm Wanda, and welcome to Devon Corporation. How can I help you?" the blonde woman asks as she looks up at me from the computer.

"I'm here to meet with Mr. Stone, the president," I answer as I stop in front of the desk.

"Do you have an appointment?"

"Yes, I'm Denise Blaze. I've come to deliver documents on behalf of the president of Blaze Corporation."

"Ah! Of course! You're Mr. Blaze's daughter," Wanda exclaims with a smile. "You and your family are well known, but I didn't think you'd be _this_ young. The way people talk about you makes you sound older."

"Well, just to confirm that information and avoid any embarrassment, I'm twenty years old," I say with a sweat drop as I rub the back of my head and smile sheepishly.

"Young indeed!" Wanda says with a smile. "I'll just call Mr. Stone and let him know you're here," she says as she grabs the black office phone and dials. "Mr. Stone, Denise Blaze is here…Okay, I'll send her right up," she says and then hangs up the phone. "I'll have Alex escort you right to Mr. Stone," Wanda says as she signals to the security guard.

"Thank you so much!" I say with a smile.

"You're very welcome!" Wanda says with a nod.

"Please, follow me, miss," Alex says as he motions for me to follow him.

I follow him to an elevator door down the hall. He presses the button to go up and a ding sounds as the silver elevator door opens.

"After you," Alex politely says as he holds his arm out toward the elevator.

I walk into the elevator and the guard follows behind. He presses the button for the tenth floor and the elevator closes. I lean on the brown wall of the elevator and with my left hand on the shiny railing.

"It's great meeting you," Alex says with an eager smile. "I know you and your brother are highly skilled trainers. My younger brother hopes to take on Blaze Tower someday."

"Is that so? How old is he?"

"He's fifteen. He's been training hard since he was ten. He's even beaten Roxanne, the gym leader here."

"That's great! Where is your brother now on his journey?"

"His next challenge is the gym leader in Mauville City…Say, isn't that where you're from?"

"Yeah, and I actually know the gym leader there personally," I say. "Are you into Pokémon yourself?"

"I don't battle. I'm actually working on becoming a Pokémon researcher. This security job helps me pay for my books."

"What books are you studying?"

"A lot of books by Pokémon researcher Maria Howard-Blaze," Alex then looks a bit astonished and stares at me. "Wait…she's your mother, isn't she?"

I chuckle at his statement and surprised expression as I nod.

"Sorry, I'm just a bit hyped at meeting you and being aware of your family's reputation," Alex says in a bit of embarrassment as he rubs the back of his head.

"No worries! I tend to get that a lot," I say.

"Professor Howard was just brilliant! I love her work; she's one of the main reasons I got into Pokémon research," Alex explains. "I would've loved to have met her…"

"I'm sure she would have been pleased to know she inspires aspiring Pokémon researchers," I say as I smile warmly at him.

Alex stares at me for a moment and then happily smiles back with a slight blush. The elevator dings and it opens. We both walk out and head down the hallway toward two large doors. Alex knocks on one of the doors.

"Come in!" we hear a voice say from inside.

Alex pushes one of the doors open and looks inside.

"Denise Blaze for you, Mr. Stone," he says.

"Ah, bring her in!" Mr. Stone eagerly says.

I walk in and turn my gaze to Mr. Stone. He's a stout older man with somewhat spiked grey hair. He's wearing a lined purple suit with a navy blue tie tucked in and a white dress shirt underneath. Another younger man with brown hair stands up from one of the couches; he's wearing a black suit with a tie and a white dress shirt underneath.

"Thank you, Alex!" Mr. Stone says.

"No problem, Mr. Stone!" Alex responds with a smile and nod before leaving the office and closing the door after him.

"Finally nice to meet Jonathan's daughter," Mr. Stone says as he stops in front of me and holds his hand out for me to shake.

"A pleasure to meet you, sir," I say with a friendly smile as I shake his hand.

"I've heard great things about you and your family. I'm pleased to start this partnership with Blaze Corporation," he says as he gazes into my eyes with his light steel-blue ones.

"Blaze Corporation is honored to partner with Devon Corporation," I say as I take my backpack off and take out the portfolio from inside. "Here is the portfolio with the signed contract and other documents my father has sent to you."

"Perfect! This alliance will be a further advancement in invention and Pokémon research!" Mr. Stone exclaims with an excited smile as he takes the portfolio.

"I've brought some water if you'd like some," the brown haired man says as he places a tray with a pitcher of water and a cup on top of the coffee table.

"This is my assistant, Kennedy," Mr. Stone says turning to the man.

"A pleasure to meet you, Ms. Blaze," Kennedy says as he shakes my hand.

"Now, please, have a seat!" Mr. Stone says as he sits down on one of the sofas in front of the coffee table.

"Thank you," I say as I sit down on the brown sofa across from where he and Kennedy are sitting.

"Did ya find the building easily in this huge city? Any trouble?" Mr. Stone asks.

"I found a map near a bus stop when I arrived at the city," I say as I drink out of my cup of water. "It wasn't too difficult to find. I hadn't been here since I was a kid…I vaguely remember my visit from then. But Rustboro is very similar to Mauville, actually."

"Well, now that Devon and Blaze Corporations are partnered, I'm sure you'll be visiting more often with your father," Mr. Stone says.

"Most likely," I say after sipping some water. "My father also mentioned to me about some issues you've been having."

"Ah, yes, the theft problems…" Kennedy states. "People have been plotting to infiltrate the Devon Corporation."

"Do you know who?" I ask before sipping some water.

"The police are investigating to find out what they can about the situation," Kennedy replies.

"That explains your tight security system," I say recalling the number of guards at the main entrance.

"Yes, and because of this new partnership with Blaze Corporation," Mr. Stone explains. "The same people who are causing us problems may also try to infiltrate Blaze Corporation. I've discussed this serious matter with your father, but he's such a resilient man who doesn't scare easily!"

"Yeah, that's my father," I say with a slight chuckle.

"I take it that it runs in the family. You delivered the documents knowing the situation," Mr. Stone says.

"I did it mainly for my father," I say after finishing my cup of water. "I know how much his work means to him. My family values the research of Pokémon."

"And that's one of the reasons why we've partnered up!" Mr. Stone says with a smile.

"You have no idea how thrilled my father is," I say with a smile.

Suddenly, the office doors burst open with Alex rushing in, causing us to turn to him in surprise.

"Someone has sneaked into the building!" Alex exclaims.

"What?!" Kennedy says as he stands up quickly.

"A man has stolen two flasks of Pokémon DNA from our lab. Some of the other guards say they're chasing the infiltrator to the top of the building."

"Damn! We can corner the infiltrator by taking a shortcut!" Kennedy states.

"I'll help," I say as I stand up.

"I'd hate to have anything happen to you," Mr. Stone says in concern as he stands up from the couch.

"It's time we found out who's behind these theft incidents. I can't let this continue on to my father's corporation," I firmly state.

"Very well. Let's go!" Mr. Stone says.

With that, we quickly follow Kennedy out of the office and down the hall. He leads us to a door that leads to a staircase outside. We make our way up quickly.

'I have to make sure I find out who's messing with Devon Corporation…' I think to myself. 'I can't let them do the same to dad's corporation…All his work… all of _mom's_ work…'

Anger simmers inside of me as we continue to make our way up the staircases. We reach the top of the building. A person dressed in black bursts through the doors of the inside staircase with a few security guards behind. The person stops at the sight of me, Kennedy, Alex, and Mr. Stone.

"We have you surrounded! Give yourself up now!" Kennedy commands the man.

We can't see the infiltrator's face because it's night and he is wearing a hooded black sweater. The flashlights the guards have only illuminate some parts of the man's figure. The hooded man then reaches into his pocket and tosses a Poké ball in the air.

"Go, Glalie!" the man exclaims as a Glalie appears out of the Poké ball.

"Come on out, Blaziken!" I say as I hold my Poké ball out for Blaziken to appear.

"Use Blizzard!" the man commands the Glalie.

The Glalie shoots snow mixed with thick pieces of ice toward me, Alex, Kennedy, and Mr. Stone.

"Flamethrower!" I call out to Blaziken.

Blaziken spits out a large stream of fire at the blizzard stream, easily melting the snow and ice. The stream of fire burns its way to Glalie, hitting it directly. Glalie winces and collapses to the floor from its levitation. The infiltrator grunts and has Glalie return to its Poké ball.

"Turn yourself in," I warn the man.

The hooded man reaches in his pocket slowly and pulls out two vials of Pokémon DNA. He slowly and carefully sets them down on the floor.

"Alright, you can have'em back…" the man says.

He tosses them high into the air and quickly makes a run for the ledge of the building.

"Get those vials!" I tell Blaziken while pointing up.

Blaziken nods and leaps high into the air toward the vials and catches them. Meanwhile, I make a run for the hooded man.

"Stop!" the guards yell out as they also run after him.

The man jumps on the ledge of the building and turns toward me. The light from below the other buildings shines on his face for a second. I am surprised to see that it is the same man who I saw earlier in the black car. He turns his hostile gaze away from me and then jumps off the ledge. We see the hooded man has used a glider to reach the top of a lower building across the street. He then runs and disappears into the shadows.

"Damn…" I mutter with my fists clenched.

"I'll notify the police to search for the man in the area," Kennedy says as he pulls out his cellphone and dials as he walks a few feet away.

I quickly walk over to Mr. Stone who's standing a few feet behind us.

"Are you all right, Mr. Stone?" I ask him in in concern.

"Yes, perfectly fine because of you," he says with an appreciative smile.

Blaziken walks up to us with the vials.

"Your Blaziken is very strong," Mr. Stone notes as he gazes up at Blaziken in awe. "I thank you both for obtaining the vials back."

"No problem," I say as Blaziken hands the vials to Mr. Stone. "Good job, Blaziken," I say as I pat Blaziken on the arm and have him return into the Poké ball.

"The police will be searching the perimeter," Kennedy says as he walks up to us.

"That's good. Hopefully, they can get a hold of that culprit to question him about who's behind these infiltrations," Mr. Stone states.

"That man," I say. "I had seen him in a black car before arriving here at Devon Corporation. I think he followed me."

"Thank goodness you didn't get hurt!" Mr. Stone says in relief. "Where are you heading now?"

"Now that I've delivered the documents to you, I'll be heading back to Mauville," I answer with a small yawn.

"Nonsense! I will not let you wander alone outside of the city in the woods at night, especially with this man on the loose. You can spend the night at my home. You must be awfully exhausted from having travelled all the way from Mauville."

"I don't want to be a bother…" I say while rubbing the back of my head.

"Never! I feel it is my responsibility to watch over the daughter of my new corporation partner as if she was my own!"

"Thank you, Mr. Stone," I smile warmly at him.

"Kennedy, get us my limo to head back home. And have Jenkins prepare a room for Denise," Mr. Stone instructs.

"Yes, sir," Kennedy says as he begins to make the phone call.

After picking up my backpack and Mr. Stone picking up the portfolio I delivered in his office, we've made our way outside of the building. A black limousine awaits us and Kennedy opens the door for us to go in first.

"Ladies first," Mr. Stone says as he holds his hands out toward the open back door.

"Thank you!" I say before climbing into the limousine.

Mr. Stone then enters the limousine and Kennedy closes the door and climbs into the passenger seat in the front next to the driver. I sit on the side seats to Mr. Stone's right as he sits on the seat facing forward.

"I greatly appreciate your time to deliver this to me and retrieving those vials," Mr. Stone says as he takes the portfolio.

"It wasn't a problem, really," I say. "I'm glad I could be of help."

"So are you just a Pokémon trainer? Or are you a business woman like your father?"

"Mostly a Pokémon trainer. I occasionally help my father out in his business, like I have with delivering the documents to you. I also occasionally help my brother, Jason, run his battle tower."

"Ah, yes! Blaze Tower. When did he establish that?"

"It's been about a year since he opened it. It's been his dream since he was young to establish a battle place for Pokémon trainers to practice and challenge him and his four other skillful trainers."

"Are you looking into having your own establishment or career as well?"

"I guess there's pressure now that two members of my family have their own establishments…But I'm not sure what I want to do, yet. I have a passion for Pokémon, so I want to make sure I stay close to that."

"That's wonderful! You remind me of my son, Steven."

"Oh, I wasn't aware that you had a son."

"Yes, like me, he has a passion for Pokémon and rare stones. In fact, he's currently on Dewford Island excavating in Granite Crave. Which brings me to something…"

I gaze at Mr. Stone with a perplexed expression as I blink a few times.

"I want to ask you for a favor. Are you willing to deliver a letter to my son in Dewford? I'm far too busy with the infiltration situation going on, so I have to stay here. You don't have to worry about transportation; I can pay for your ferry ticket. Steven would also be a good person to go to for advice if you want to determine what you want to do as a career."

"A trip to Dewford, huh?" I say as I look up in thought. "Well, the last time I wandered far outside of Mauville was about a month ago, and I've been longing to travel farther away…Hm. Why not? I'd be more than happy to help you!"

"Really? You're a life saver, Denise!" Mr. Stone exclaims happily. "You'll get a good night's rest, wake up refreshed to a full breakfast, and be set for Dewford!"


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

After spending the night in Mr. Stone's mansion and eating a delicious breakfast this morning, Mr. Stone and Kennedy drove me to the ferry port. I am standing with Mr. Stone and Kennedy at the gates of the ferry. The ferry is scheduled to leave at 11:15a.m. and it is 11:10a.m. now.

"Here is your round trip ferry ticket," Mr. Stone says as he hands it to me. "I also made sure that Jenkins packed your backpack with enough food for you to snack on in case you get hungry."

"Oh, I can feel it, alright," I say as I fix the straps of my heavy backpack.

"I also want you to have this," Mr. Stone says as he hands me a red compact device. "It's a Pokémon Navigator, or PokéNav for short. They are very useful for trainers; you contact other trainers who have one, too. Coordinators can also use it to keep track of a Pokémon's status for contests. Most importantly, it has a map of all of Hoenn. You can use it to navigate in Dewford to find Granite Cave where Steven is."

"Wow, thank you so much, Mr. Stone," I say as I gaze at the PokéNav.

"It's a gift from me for helping me out so much," he says with a smile. "Did you want me to let your father know where you're heading?"

"Nah, I'll let him know my whereabouts when I arrive at Dewford. I don't want to bother him; he's very busy at this time of the day."

"Very well. Just make sure you contact him so he doesn't worry. As a father myself, I worry when Steven doesn't keep in touch after he's been gone for a long while."

"Final boarding for Dewford!" a ferry attendant calls out.

"Ah! I better get going!" I say in a panic as I turn to the ferry and walk up the removable staircase.

After showing my ferry ticket to the ferry attendant, I walk to the edge of the ferry to look down over at Mr. Stone and Kennedy. The ferry begins to slowly move away from the port.

"Thanks, Mr. Stone!" I yell out as I wave goodbye.

"Thank _you_, Denise! Be careful and travel safely!" Mr. Stone yells back as he and Kennedy wave back. "Tell Steven I send him my regards and hope to see him sometime soon!"

"Will do!" I yell back as the ferry sails further away.

Once the ferry has sailed far, I walk over and take a seat at one of the comfy chairs near the edge of the ferry. I stare out into the water as the breeze blows gently through my messy black hair. A flock of Wingull and Pelipper fly across the bright blue sky.

After nearly two hours, the ferry finally arrives at Dewford Island. I stand up from my seat and gaze at the island. I am amazed by the beautiful colors of the island's landscape; the grass is bright green sprinkled with various colorful flowers. I stare in awe at the breathtaking sight.

"I _have_ to go back to traveling…" I say to myself.

The ferry stops at the port and we are ready to board off. I walk off the staircase along with the other passengers and head for the town.

"Wow, this place is so cute and calm…" I say as I glance around the small quiet town. "Seems like a good place when ya need a vacation from Mauville."

I am too caught up in sightseeing but snap back into focus.

"Almost forgot why I'm here!" I say to myself as I take my PokéNav out. "Alright, let's see where Granite Cave is…"

I open the PokéNav and pull up the Dewford Island map.

"Hmm…seems it's just a mile north from here," I say as I examine the map. "Better get to it!"

With that, I begin to make my way through the small town in the northern direction. I walk past various small businesses: a sweets shop, a coffee and tea parlor, a clothing shop, a souvenir shop. I finally reach the end of the town where the dirt trail leads to the woods.

"Wow, the landscape is just beautiful!" I say to myself as I gaze at the green everywhere. "I can't believe I've never been to Dewford. I'm really falling in love with this place!"

I watch as a Taillow glides from tree branch to tree branch.

'I wonder what Steven is like…' I think to myself as I continue to walk down the trail. 'He sounds like a teenager from the way his father talked about him…Then again, I sounded like an older woman to Wanda back at Devon Corporation…'

I let out an embarrassed sigh.

'I wonder how old Wanda thought I was…did she picture me as a woman in her thirties? Or as a woman in her sixties?' I picture an older version of myself slouching over using a cane as support. 'Thankfully I cleared up that vision Wanda had of me…'

After some ten minutes of walking, I reach a rocky area by the woods. I glance up at the large cave some fifteen feet to my left as I pull out my PokéNav.

"This must be it…" I mutter to myself as I look at the map. "Yep! This is Granite Cave. Now, to go in and find this Steven…"

I head into the cave that slowly begins to drop down deeper into the ground the farther I walk.

'I'm not sure if I know how to navigate through caves…' I think as I continue to walk. 'It shouldn't be too difficult, right?'

I stop in my tracks when I see that the pathway splits into two trails.

"I spoke too soon…" I mutter to myself before sighing heavily.

An idea then pops into my head. I pull out some chalk in my backpack and mark the rocky wall with an arrow.

"Good thing Mr. Stone anticipated this," I say as I finish drawing the white arrow. "Now I can navigate myself through the cave if I get lost."

After that, I decide to go down the pathway on the left. The interesting rock forms of the cave walls fascinate me.

'Pokémon must love it here. It seems so quiet and peaceful…'

"Finally got you all alone," I hear a man say from behind me.

I am startled and turn around quickly. The hooded man who infiltrated Devon Corporation last night is standing ten feet away, staring at me with that hostile gaze. I can see his face clearly now that the hood isn't over his head. He has short black hair and tanned skinned.

"You…" I say as I sternly look at him. "Who are you and what do you want from Devon and Blaze Corporations?"

"My boss wants what Devon and Blaze Corporations have…You've become a liability and I can't risk letting you get in my way again…I haven't brought you to my bosses attention yet, but if you continue to get in my way, I will. And you'll be sorry for trying to interfere with The Cult's plans."

'The Cult?' I think to myself.

The man takes out a Poké ball and releases a Tyranitar from it. My eyes glance up at the large Pokémon as it roars.

"Go, Blaziken!" I say as I hold a Poké ball out.

"Earthquake!" the man instructs.

The Tyranitar stomps once with all its might. I wobble from the shake of the ground, lose my balance, and trip over a boulder, causing me to land on my side. The impact from the earthquake has caused the wall to crack and break apart a bit above me. A piece of the ceiling breaks off and the large piece pins my right arm to the floor. I yelp out in pain and Blaziken turns back to me in concern.

"Use Rock Throw!" the man commands.

The Tyranitar punches the wall to its right, breaking rocks off. It takes some and begins to hurl them in my direction. Blaziken quickly steps in front of them and kicks them away, breaking them to bits.

"Double-kick, Blaziken!" I say through my gritting teeth as I try to pull my arm out from under the boulder.

Blaziken quickly charges at the Tyranitar and kicks it twice with its powerful legs. The Tyranitar is pushed back from the strong impact, nearly tipping over on the man.

"Looks like I'm gonna need another Pokémon to take care of you," the man grunts.

He holds out a Poké ball and releases a Vigoroth. The Vigoroth and Tyranitar begin to close in on Blaziken. I continue to try to pull my aching right arm out from under the large boulder as Blaziken stands protectively in front of me. I can't turn my body to reach for my Poké balls to send out another one of my Pokémon to aid Blaziken. The pulsing pain is beginning to overwhelm me as I grit my teeth and grunt. Suddenly, a yellow beam strikes the Tyranitar straight in the chest, sending it flying back into the rocky wall.

'That was…Hyper Beam…' I think to myself in surprise. "Blaziken, use Blaze Kick on Vigoroth!"

Blaziken charges at the Vigoroth, jumps up as his left leg envelopes in flames, and strikes Vigoroth with a roundhouse kick to its face. Vigoroth is sent flying back on to Tyranitar, fainting instantly at the kick. I grunt as I resist the pain from my arm.

"Let me help you," I hear a man say from behind me.

I am surprised at this and turn to a man with slightly spiked silver hair. He is accompanied by an Aggron who is keeping an eye on the Tyranitar with Blaziken. I turn away from the silver haired man to the hooded man who attacked me. He is returning his fainted Vigoroth and Tyranitar into their Poké balls and is making a run for it.

"He's getting away!" I yell with a grimace.

"Forget about him! We have to get this boulder off your arm!" the silver haired man exclaims.

I watch as the hooded man disappears into the cave's shadows.

"Blaziken and Aggron, help me remove the boulder," the silver haired man says after attempting to remove it.

Blaziken and Aggron nod and quickly make their way over to me. Blaziken grabs a hold of the boulder on one end while Aggron has the other end. Together, they carry the boulder off my arm and hurl it some feet away.

"Luckily these smaller boulders took up some of the weight of the larger one," the man says as he kneels next to me. "Otherwise, your arm would've been broken for sure," he says as he carefully examines my right arm. "But it still needs medical attention."

He turns to his Aggron while taking out a Poké ball from his beige vest pocket.

"You did well, Aggron," he says as it returns into its Poké ball. "I'll have my Metagross carry us back to town so you can see a doctor," he says to me as he takes another Poké ball out and releases a Metagross.

He helps me stand up carefully while holding my injured arm gently. I gaze up at him for a moment and stare in curiosity as he helps me climb on top of Metagross.

'He reminds me of Mr. Stone…' I think to myself as I stare at the man as he also climbs on top of Metagross. 'Same colored haired, same pale turquoise eyes…Could he be-?'

"Alright, we're set to go!" the man exclaims.

"Blaziken, thank you so much," I say as I hold my Poké ball out and return Blaziken inside it.

"To the town, Metagross," the man instructs.

Metagross tucks in its large metallic blue legs and begins to float in midair. It carries us swiftly out of the cave and down the trail that leads into the town. I am fascinated by the Metagross and observe it in awe.

"Wow, I've never seen a Metagross before…" I say as I continue to look down at it. "I'd only seen pictures of them in books and in a Pokédex."

"Metagross are difficult to find," the man begins to explain. "Metagross is the result of two Metang fusing together. This Pokémon wanders in rough terrains where people don't often go to."

"That's really cool," I say with a smile. "Oh! Are you Steven, by any chance?"

"Hm? Yes, I am," he answers in surprise. "Forgive me, I didn't introduce myself."

"It's fine! Your father told me a bit about you," I say.

"My father?" he asks looking a bit perplexed.

"He sent me to find you so I can deliver a letter to you," I say as I attempt to take my backpack but wince from the pulsing pain in my right arm.

"Whoa, don't try to move your arm so much," Steven says as he gently holds my injured right arm. "The letter can wait for now. I'll read it once your arm is taken care of."

I stare up at him in wonder as he gazes at me with a friendly smile.

'To think I thought he was a teenager…He's a pretty handsome man,' I think to myself but then quickly turn my head forward to avoid staring at him any longer.

"Can you move your arm at all?" Steven asks, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Just a little…it hurts when I move it a lot," I say as I try to lift my arm up but grit my teeth at the slight pain. "Thank you for helping me and Blaziken out."

"You're welcome. I'm glad I came in the nick of time. That man and his Tyranitar probably would've caused the cave to cave-in."

"I was worried for my Blaziken. That Tyranitar was enough trouble, and then the Vigoroth joined in…"

"We make a pretty good team with our Pokémon," he says with a smile. "I'm sorry, but I didn't catch your name."

"Oh, sorry! I was caught up in all this mess that I forgot to formally introduce myself," I smile sheepishly. "I'm Denise Blaze."

"Pleasure to meet you, Denise. And I'm Steven Stone," he says as he holds his hand out for me to shake with my right hand. "Uh, sorry! I forgot about your arm…" he says with an embarrassed smile while rubbing the back of his head.

"It's okay," I say after I laugh a bit. "I can still use my left hand," I hold my left hand out.

He then holds his left hand out and shakes mine. We finally arrive in the small town. Metagross stops in front of a Pokémon Center. Steven jumps off Metagross first and then helps me down carefully. He returns Metagross into a Poké ball and turns to me. He places his left arm over my left shoulder and holds my injured right arm with his right hand. We make our way through the sliding glass doors of the Center and walk toward the main desk.

"We need her arm taken care of," Steven tells a nurse.

"Yes, bring her this way!" the nurse says as she quickly leads us to the emergency room.

We head to one of the patient beds inside the emergency room and Steven helps me sit on it.

"A doctor will be with you shortly," the nurse says as she runs off quickly into another room.

I glance at my right arm and see that it's bruised up with some scratches and cuts.

"Let me hold your backpack for you," Steven offers.

"Thanks," I say as he carefully helps me remove my backpack.

A doctor then walks in with the nurse holding some medical supplies on a tray. Steven moves to the side so the doctor can stand in front of me. I grit my teeth and wince a bit as the doctor carefully examines my arm by pressing gently down on some parts of it.

"It's not broken, thankfully," the doctor says as he continues to examine my arm. "The bruising will darken a bit more, but your arm should be fine within a week or so."

The nurse begins to wipe the dirt from my arm gently and begins to bandage it up.

"How did this happen to you?" the doctor asks.

"I ran into some trouble while in Granite Cave," I begin to explain. "The cave started to give and some boulders collapsed on top of my arm."

"Yes, those caves can be awfully dangerous," the doctor says. "I'd advise no more cave exploring for you!"

I laugh a bit. The nurse finishes wrapping my arm in thick medical tape.

"You're all set to go!" she says with a smile.

I get off the patient bed and glance at my bandaged arm.

"Thank you so much!" I say while smiling at the nurse and doctor.

"No problem at all!" the doctor replies.

"You take care, now!" the nurse says as she waves goodbye.

Steven and I walk out of the emergency room and into the lobby of the Pokémon Center. He stares at me curiously for a moment.

'She didn't mention the man who attacked her…I wonder why," " Steven thinks to himself.

"Oh! You can take the letter from your father out from my backpack! It's in the front pocket," I say as I point to my backpack he's carrying.

He opens the flap and pulls out a folded letter. He opens it and begins to read it. I examine my bandaged arm and wince a bit from some slight pain after raising my arm a bit too high.

"Hm. So my father has signed a partnership with Blaze Corporation," Steven says as he continues to read. "And he…sent Mr. Blaze's daughter to deliver this letter…" he trails off as he reads the end of the letter. "Wait! _You're_ the daughter of the president of Blaze Corporation?!" he exclaims in surprise.

"Hm? Oh, yeah. I forgot to mention that," I say with a sweat drop. "I thought my last name would hint at that…"

"That's true…I guess I was distracted at our introduction to make that connection," Steven says sheepishly. "I didn't know Mr. Blaze had a daughter."

Suddenly, I hear something ring in my bag. Steven pulls out a black cell phone from one of the small outside pockets and hands it to me.

"Hello?" I answer with a curious voice.

"WHERE ARE YOU?!" I hear someone yell out from the other line, causing me to flinch back. "I get home and see you're not there! Then, you don't even show up this morning!"

"Jason, relax! I'm on a business trip for dad," I begin to explain. "I, uh…" I say as I glance at my bandaged right arm. "I was doing some sightseeing and got caught up and distracted at Dewford Island."

"DEWFORD ISLAND? What are you doing there?!" he yells in surprise, causing me to flinch back from the phone again.

Steven watches with a sweat drop and dumfounded expression.

"Dad wouldn't tell me anything, so I knew you had to have told Mireha," Jason continues. "She told me you were going to Rustboro to deliver some documents for dad."

"Sorry!" I hear Mireha say through the phone, causing me to laugh a bit.

"What the _hell_ are you doing on Dewford Island?!" Jason asks.

I sigh heavily as I slouch over a bit.

"Uh, the line is cutting off! I'm starting to lose you!" I begin to lie, making some static noises with my mouth. "Tell dad about my whereabouts. I'll be home soon!"

I then close the flip phone.

"Wow…who was _that_?" Steven asks as he blinks a few times with a baffled face.

"That would be my brother…" I say placing the cell phone in my jean pocket. "That's why I don't like carrying a cell phone…People keep track of me which interrupts my time when exploring Pokémon habitats."

"Ah, another Blaze sibling," he notes. "He's older, I presume?"

"Yep…protective older brother," I say as I scratch my head. "Imagine the fit he's going to have when he sees my arm."

Steven chuckles.

"I wouldn't know much about having a sibling since I'm an only child," he says.

"Trust me, you're not missing out on anything," I joke. "Since you're the son of Mr. Stone, I thought you'd know about the partnership between Devon and Blaze Corporations was undergoing."

"Well, like you, I don't like to carry a cell phone around for the same reason you don't. It interrupts my work while searching for rare stones and studying Pokémon. I haven't been in contact with my father or outside Dewford Island; I've been exploring Granite Cave for months."

"You're pretty hardcore with this rare stone fad."

"Yes, I am," Steven smiles while rubbing the side of his head. "I tell people that I literally live in a cave when I haven't heard of some news that goes on."

I giggle at his remark.

"So will you be leaving Dewford?" Steven asks. "There's a ferry until another 2 hours or so."

"That's a lot of time…I'd like to do some sightseeing, then," I say.

"If that's the case, I'd like to be your guide. I know this island pretty well by now."

"I don't want to be a bother…"

"Of course not. Let's go!" Steven says as he leads me outside the Pokémon Center. "There are quite a few places to see and such little time! We must hurry!"

With that, Steven leads the way to our first location to see.

Steven and I are sitting at a small table outside by the ferry port. He's bought us some ice cream to enjoy after having explored for over an hour.

"The way that Magikarp splashed water into your face was hilarious!" I say with a giggle.

"Yes, it seemed I got a bit too close to it," Steven says as he rubs the back of his head with a sheepish smile. "Good thing I'm in my hiking clothing and not my typical suit."

"The waterfall was such a great place! It was so beautiful standing in front of it!"

"Yes, I've been meaning to excavate the space behind it. It can be turned into a small cave and could potentially have some nice stones there," he says as he eats a spoonful of ice cream.

"I'm sure you'd like to do more excavation instead of showing me around…" I say in a guilty voice as I stir my ice cream. "I'm sorry for interrupting your excavations."

"I'd actually finished when I encountered you back in Granite Cave. I found a stone I was looking for…" he says as he digs into his brown backpack and pulls out a shiny yellow stone with a flame-like red pattern inside it.

"A fire stone!" I say as I move forward in excitement. "My favorite stone!"

"I take it you like Fire-type Pokémon," Steven says as he lets me hold the stone.

"I _love_ Fire-type Pokémon," I say as I gaze at the stone in awe. "My two signature Pokémon are Charizard and Blaziken."

"Fire-type matches well with your last name," Steven notes.

"A lot of people tell me that. They also say it matches with my personality. My father and brother also have a fiery and fun personality; it's all from my dad's side…You and your father also match well with your last name, Stone. You both love finding rare stones."

"Yeah, we get that a lot, too!"

I hand the stone back to him. Steven and I pause for a moment to enjoy our ice cream.

"So why are you into Pokémon?" Steven asks before he eats a spoonful of ice cream.

"I've loved exploring habitats and new locations since I was a kid," I say. "I haven't gotten much time to travel far from my home in Mauville…" I trail off for a moment as I eat some of my ice cream. "When I was about five, I had been wandering about in a cave just outside of Rustboro. I told your dad that I hadn't been in Rustboro since I was very young, and this is the story of that visit…I had been led by my curiosity into a small cave, but to my dismay, I had fallen into a collapsed burrow…I remember being so scared in the dark, calling out for help and crying...I had thought no one was ever going to find me there…Until a young boy found me and helped me out of the burrow. I don't remember him or the Pokémon that helped him save me."

Steven stares at me intently as he listens.

"I guess you can say I have bad luck with caves," I say with a sheepish smile.

We then hear the ferry approach the port.

"It's finally here," I say as we both turn to see the ferry.

"It's a bit earlier than usual," Steven notes as he looks at his PokéNav. "We'll get back to Rustboro earlier than we expected."

"_We_?" I turn to him in surprise. "You're going to Rustboro, too?"

"Yes, I figured I'd escort you there after your injury injury," Steven says as he stands up and takes our empty cups of ice cream and throws them in the garbage bin a few feet away. "My father mentioned in the letter to me that he wishes to see me as soon as possible anyway. He sounded urgent in the letter, and my father is very laidback to sound so urgent…How is my father, by the way?"

"He's just fine…He must want to talk to you about the theft situation…" I say as I stand up.

The ferry stops at the port and the passengers on it get off.

"Theft situation?" Steven asks in confusion as he carries my backpack for me after putting his own backpack on.

"You've been living in a cave for a bit too long," I tease as I begin to walk toward the ferry. "I'll explain everything on the sail to Rustboro."

He stares at me for a moment and then quickly follows after me, and we board the ferry.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

While on the ferry ride, Steven and I ate all of the snacks Jenkins packed in my bag as I explained what was happening with the theft situations. He and I also told a bit about each other and goofed around. We've arrived at Rustboro and are now heading to Devon Corporation.

"I'm sure your father will be pleased to see you after so long," I say to Steven as we enter the Devon building.

"I think he'll be worried once he sees that arm of yours," Steven jokes.

I laugh at his statement as we approach the front desk where Wanda is sitting.

"Hello, Steven! It's been such a long time since you've been around," Wanda greets. "And hello again, Denise!" she then glances at my bandaged arm. "My, are you all right?"

"Yes, I'm quite fine. Just a bit sore is all," I say with a reassuring smile.

"Is my father in his office?" Steven asks.

"Yes, I'll call him up…"

"No, it's fine! I'd rather surprise him," Steven says as he and I begin to walk down the hall. "Thanks, Wanda!"

We reach the elevator and Steven presses the button to go up. The door opens, we step in, and Steven presses the button for the tenth floor and the door closes. We stand in the center of the elevator, Steven to my right. I stare at my bandaged right arm and poke it a few times with my left index finger. Steven watches me curiously while smiling. I stop and look up at him with a blank face and quickly place my left hand behind my back.

"I was checking if it still hurt…" I say with a sweat drop as I smile in embarrassment.

Steven chuckles.

"Why don't you work with your dad in his business?" I ask. "It's not your style, is it?"

"I occasionally help him out, but I am far too caught up in my own business," he answers.

"Caught up searching for stones and living in caves," I tease.

"Yes, I tend to travel a lot," Steven says as he chuckles. "I also reside in Mossdeep City."

"Mossdeep? Really? All the way out there?"

Steven nods.

"I've never been to Mossdeep…I've heard it's beautiful there," I say. "How long does it take to get there from here?"

"On a plane, about two hours. On foot, a few days, but it also depends on which routes you take."

The elevator dings and the door opens. We walk out and head down the hall toward Mr. Stone's office. Steven takes a hold of the door knob and opens it as I hide my injured arm by placing it behind me. Mr. Stone is sitting at his desk, reading through some documents. Kennedy is sitting on the couch a few feet away, reading through some papers and working on a laptop. Mr. Stone looks up at me and Steven with raised eyebrows.

"Well, look who's here!" Mr. Stone exclaims happily as he gets up from his chair and walks over to us. "I didn't think you'd come so soon!" he says as he embraces his tall son. "Always covered in dirt! That's my son, all right!" he says as he wipes Steven's orange shirt and beige vest.

"I was concerned about what you wrote in the letter," Steven says as they pull apart. "And I also came to escort Denise after an accident."

Mr. Stone glances at me as I slowly pull my arm out in front of me. I stick my tongue out a bit at Steven for putting me on the spot and he laughs to himself.

"Denise! What happened?" Mr. Stone asks in concern as he gazes at my bandaged arm. "Come and have a seat! Kennedy, get Denise some water."

"Yes, Mr. Stone," Kennedy says as he walks off to a table on the other end of the office.

Mr. Stone has me sit on the burgundy sofa in front of the coffee table. Steven takes a seat next to me and Mr. Stone sits down on the sofa where Kennedy is working. Kennedy returns with a pitcher of water and fills a cup up. He hands it to me and takes a seat next to Mr. Stone.

"The same man who infiltrated Devon Corporation last night followed me to Dewford," I begin to explain. "He attempted to practically kill me inside Granite Cave by attacking me with his Pokémon."

"How terrible!" Mr. Stone exclaims in worry.

"A boulder collapsed on my arm and pinned me to the ground," I continue. "Luckily, Steven arrived and helped my Blaziken fend off the man and his two Pokémon with his Aggron."

"My Metagross carried us to a Pokémon Center to get her arm treated," Steven adds.

"Gosh…I feel so bad for sending you off with the letter…" Mr. Stone says in a guilty voice.

"It really isn't your fault!" I say. "It would've happened regardless…He would've followed me anywhere until I was alone so that he could strike."

"Did he say anything to you?" Kennedy asks.

"He mentioned something about The Cult," I answer after drinking some water.

"The Cult?" Kennedy asks in surprise.

"Do you know anything about it?" Steven asks Kennedy.

"The Cult is an organization responsible for crimes such as theft of research, technologies, and Pokémon," Kennedy explains. "They're a dangerous group and should not be dealt with alone."

"I've never heard of this group," I say after drinking from my cup.

"They're much undisclosed about their existence. Only those of law enforcement are aware of them and their crimes."

"So they must be trying to infiltrate Devon Corporation for its inventions," Steven says.

"They must want to infiltrate Blaze Corporation for their scientific technology and research," I add.

"And it looks like they don't want anyone getting in their way judging by what happened with Denise…" Mr. Stone states.

"We can't let them do this!" I stay firmly.

"Now that you've confirmed The Cult's involvement, I'll inform the authorities," Kennedy says as he pulls out his cell phone. "It's much too dangerous for anyone to be involved other than the police," he says as he dials. "Kennedy here. I've just received confirmation that The Cult is in fact behind these infiltrations and thefts."

I clench my fists and grimace a bit at the pulsing pain of my arm and stare down at the floor in deep thought. Steven watches me in concern, wondering what I'm thinking about.

"Yes, that's right," Kennedy continues to talk on the phone. "We have a witness who's been injured and was attempted to be killed by one of The Cult's members. I've recorded all the information she's given me…Yes, I'll email it to you right away."

Kennedy then hangs up the phone.

"What happened?" Mr. Stone asks him.

"I've informed the chief about what Denise has told us," Kennedy answers. "Now that we have a confirmation of The Cult being behind all this, we can begin an investigation to arrest them."

"What else do you know about The Cult?" I ask.

"The Cult is consisted of criminals, all of whom are led by the founder of the organization, Damian," Kennedy explains as he types up something on his laptop. "He and his organization are responsible for the thefts of technologies and research of corporations, as well as the deaths of numerous people and Pokémon."

Kennedy places his laptop on his lap to face us, showing a headshot of a light-skinned, blue eyed man with short, spiked black hair.

"This is him," Kennedy continues. "He and his organization have been active for only a few years. It wasn't until recently that their criminal activity has spiked. The police think that they're after something Devon Corporation and Blaze Corporation have."

"But 'What?' is the question…" Steven says as he places a hand on his chin as he stares at the floor in contemplation.

"I'll be heading out of my office for the rest of the evening," Mr. Stone says. "I want my son and especially Denise to get some rest back in my mansion."

"That really isn't necessary," I object.

"After you being injured, I will not allow you to wander off alone back to Mauville," Mr. Stone says. "It's getting late and who knows if that man is still after you."

I sit back, knowing that I won't be allowed to go anywhere besides Mr. Stone's mansion.

"I'll call your father right now and inform him myself that you'll be spending the night at my mansion," Mr. Stone says as he walks over to his desk and dials the phone.

I stare sternly at the floor in deep contemplation. Steven notices the expression on my face. We can hear Mr. Stone in the background speaking to my father on the phone while Kennedy is typing up an email on his laptop.

"You seem pensive…" Steven says, interrupting my thoughts.

"Hm?" I look at him in surprise. "I'm just in deep thought and worry about your dad and my dad's corporations," I reply, faking a reassuring smile.

Steven stares at me with an unsure gaze.

"So do you often sleepover your dad's mansion?" I ask him.

"Only when I'm visiting after long travels," he answers. "I try to as often as I can so he isn't so lonely…I know he worries about me."

"I would worry too if you're out there, wandering in random caves that could collapse!" I say humorously.

"I'm more cautious than _you_," he teases.

I stare at him with a pouty face as I take a sip from my cup of water. "You're a real smartass, Mr. Stone, you know that?"

Steven chuckles.

"Yes, yes I am," he plays along.

"Your father is aware that you'll be staying in my mansion for the night," Mr. Stone says as he walks over to us. "He knows about your arm and the incident. He agrees that you should stay with us in my mansion for your safety. You can return to Mauville tomorrow morning with some escorts."

'Ewww….escorts?' I think to myself. "If that's what my father wants as well, then I have no other choice but to accept."

"Now, let's head to my mansion and have some dinner. I'm sure both of you are hungry after your long trip back from Dewford," Mr. Stone says as he grabs his hat from his desk and a suitcase.

"We are…" Steven admits with a sheepish smile.

"We finished all the snacks Jenkins packed in my bag…" I also admit and smile sheepishly.

"That explains why it doesn't look as heavy as before," Mr. Stone notes as he glances at my backpack that Steven is carrying.

"I've called in the limousine, and it should be outside by the time we get downstairs," Kennedy says as he tucks his cell phone away in his suit.

"Good! Let's head on out!" Mr. Stone states and leads the way out of his office.

It's around 6:30p.m. We arrived at Stone manor about half an hour ago. Mr. Stone had Jenkins get some clothes for me while my own clothes are being washed. I just took a quick shower to freshen up and am waiting for Jenkins to bring the extra clothes they have here for me. I'm sitting on the queen sized bed in a white robe as I finish towel drying my long, messy black hair. There's a knock on the door.

"Come in!" I call out as I stand, still drying my hair with the white towel.

"I've brought the extra clothing we have here for you, Ms. Blaze," Jenkins says after walking into the bedroom and closing the door after him.

I walk over to him and take the neatly folded clothes from him and place it on the bed.

"Wow…this is…nice," I say in an unsure tone as I hold up the extra-large black sweater.

"We do apologize," Jenkins says. "We don't have anything smaller than this sweater and those gray jogging pants…We don't have guests very often, and there isn't a lady of the house."

"No worries, Jenkins!" I say with a smile.

I glance around, left and right, and then quickly make my way to the night stand. Jenkins watches me in curiosity as I dig through the drawer and pull out a roll of thick, silky purple ribbon and another roll of thick, silky red ribbon.

"Wait here!" I say to Jenkins as I run into the bathroom with the ribbon rolls and large sweater and close the door after me.

I place the rolls of thick ribbon and the sweater on the vanilla colored porcelain counter by the sink. I pull one of the drawers of the wide counter and find a pair of scissors.

"Good thing I kept my bra and panties…" I mutter as I drop the robe on the floor and quickly put on my undergarments.

After that, I walk to the counter where the large black sweater is. I slip it on and see that it practically fits me like a dress. I then take the roll of purple ribbon that's about three inches wide and wrap some around my waist three times. As soon as I find the perfect fit around my waist, I hold it at the spot, take the scissors, and cut the ribbon. I wince a bit from a slight pulse of pain from my injured arm but quickly continue my art project. I place the scissors and ribbon roll on the counter and extend the piece of ribbon I cut to see its length. I then wrap the long piece of ribbon around my waist from behind and tie a large neat bow with the extra ends extending out about a foot. Once I see that it's nice and tied, I turn the tied ribbon around so that the large bow is behind my waist. I look in the large mirror and fluff my long, black wavy and curly hair that reaches slightly past my shoulder blades. I grab the red ribbon roll and cut a piece about less than a foot long. With that piece, I tie it as a hairband around the top of my head in my hair, covering the sides of it with my dark locks. I fix my bangs over my face as I gaze into the mirror again.

"Denise Blaze, you are one crafty gal," I say as I turn my side and check my new outfit out.

I then leave the bathroom and walk up to Jenkins, twirling slowly to show him my creation.

"Well…what do ya think?" I ask him as I face him, looking myself over.

"Ms. Blaze…" Jenkins says in surprise. "I don't even recognize it as an oversized sweater!"

"I'm crafty!" I say as I slip my black ankle boots on.

"You look marvelous, Ms. Blaze," Jenkins compliments. "You also match well with young Steven, tonight. Any special plans with Master Steven?"

"Jenkins!" I say to him in panic. "How could you say that?!"

He chuckles at my reaction.

"He's the son of my father's new business partner…I can't possibly start something with him…I barely met him today!"

"All the more reason to have a first date," Jenkins says as he preens his white mustache.

"You remind me a lot of my butler, Bailey…" I say as I smile up at him as I finish slipping my boots on, wincing a bit at the pain in my arm.

"Mr. Stone and Master Steven are ready in the dining room, Ms. Blaze," Jenkins notes.

"Ah! I'm ready!" I say as I frantically walk out of the room, causing Jenkins to chuckle.

Jenkins escorts me down the long hall. We can hear Steven and Mr. Stone speaking due to the silence in the large space.

"I feel bad for not being able to provide suitable clothing for Denise…" we hear Mr. Stone say. "I hope she doesn't mind that oversized sweater…"

"I'm sure she won't mind," Steven responds as Jenkins and I walk into the dining room. "She probably won't mind looking…a bit…messy…" he trails off as he lays eyes on me in awe.

I notice his look of disbelief and quickly look down at the floor.

"You've got Master Steven's attention," Jenkins leans in and whispers to me as he walks beside me.

I try my best not to blush, but I can feel my cheeks warming up a bit. Jenkins grabs the chair that's across Steven at the table and pulls it out for me. I take my seat and fix myself comfortably, avoiding Steven's stare. Mr. Stone is sitting at the end of the long table to my right, watching as Steven continues to stare at me with his mouth slightly open.

"It seems you managed to improvise with the oversized sweater," Mr. Stone says with a smile. "You'd catch any gentleman's attention…"

Steven hears his father's words and quickly shakes his head a bit in embarrassment.

"I guess I should start my own fashion line," I joke with a sheepish smile at Mr. Stone. "The food looks delicious, Jenkins!" I say as I glance at my plate and see a well-cooked steak with rice, mashed potatoes with gravy, and peas on the side.

I glance at Steven and see that he's staring down at his lap, looking a bit nervous. He's wearing a black suit with dark purple zigzag lines that run down the front of it. A red ascot tie compliments his suit with a white dress shirt underneath. There are white cuffs just above the elbows of his suit.

'I can see what Jenkins meant when he said we matched well…' I think to myself as I look down at my lap.

Mr. Stone and Jenkins watch me and Steven, noticing how shy and nervous we are. They smile at each other in humor.

"Well, now that Denise is here, we can dig in!" Mr. Stone says as he takes his fork and knife and begins to happily cut his steak.

I look at the fork and knife beside my neatly served plate and grab them. I begin to cut my steak, not looking up at all, keeping my eye range on my plate. After I finish cutting a piece of steak, I eat it. From my peripheral vision, I see there is a platter with cut up toasted bread. I reach my hand out to grab a piece of the bread without looking up. As I grab a piece, I feel a hand take a hold of mine. I look up in surprise and see that Steven has accidentally grabbed my hand instead of the bread. He stares at me with wide eyes and quickly pulls his hand back. Mr. Stone watches us in entertainment with a grin on his face while munching on a piece of his steak. Jenkins is laughing to himself as he walks out of the dining room.

"Sorry! I wasn't paying attention!" he says smiling nervously with a sweat drop.

"My fault! I wasn't looking when I went to grab a piece," I also say nervously with a smile.

Steven grabs his piece of bread and we all continue to eat, silence in the dining room.

"So, Denise…" Mr. Stone says while cutting a piece of his steak. "How's your arm?"

"Oh, my arm is fine," I say looking at my bandaged right arm as I chew on a piece of steak. "I feel a bit of pain when I move it, but I just suck it up."

"She's a tough gal," Mr. Stone says to Steven.

"She is…" Steven agrees as he stirs his peas on his plate.

"You know, Steven is Hoenn's Pokémon League Champion…" Mr. Stone adds.

I nearly spit the red wine back into the cup as I am surprised at his statement. I swallow the bit of wine in a gulp and look up at Steven.

"You're the League Champion?!" I ask in disbelief.

Mr. Stone nods while munching on some steak, causing Steven to be a bit embarrassed.

"Um, yes…" Steven says after sipping from his glass of red wine. "I don't reveal it so easily to people…" he says giving his dad a humorous stern gaze. "If I do, I get a lot of attention which can interrupt my excavations and explorations."

"Hm. Same reason I don't announce myself as the daughter of Jonathan Blaze," I say as I stir the gravy in my mashed potatoes and eat some. "People want challenge me which sometimes interferes with my exploration of Pokémon habitats… It's not that I don't want to battle trainers. I love inspiring them…I just…want to have my time exploring and observing Pokémon."

Steven and Mr. Stone stare at me curiously as they continue to eat.

"I know Steven can understand you on that note…" Mr. Stone says before drinking some of his wine. "He gets so caught up with his studies and stone excavations that he sometimes forgets he's the League Champion. Trainers have to set up appointments far ahead of time to challenge him in Ever Grande City!"

"I bet if I was a League Champion, I would end up the same," I say smiling at Steven.

He and his father chuckle at my statement.

"Luckily, trainers don't often come to challenge me and the Elite Four," Steven says as he eats.

"The Elite Four are highly skilled trainers," I say as I finish half of my steak. "I can imagine how strong _you_ are. Same situation with my brother and Blaze Tower."

"What is Blaze Tower?" Steven asks in curiosity.

"Oh, I forgot you sometimes live in caves," I tease him with a grin before drinking some of my wine. "Blaze Tower is a battle tower my brother Jason established about a year ago. Trainers who want to challenge him first have to undergo battles with four trainers that are under Jason's skill level, similar to how it works with the Elite Four and you, the League Champion."

"Do you partake in running the tower?" Steven asks as he finishes his mashed potatoes with some bread.

"Not really," I say after swallowing a forkful of mashed potatoes and peas. "I prefer my brother runs the tower himself because it's been his dream since he was young. I wouldn't want to steal his spotlight…I sometimes help him run a few minor things and train young Pokémon trainers at one of the training battle fields, free of charge."

"Oh, that reminds me," Mr. Stone says as he wipes his mouth with a napkin. "Did Steven give you any advice on what you can pursue?"

"She mentioned it briefly," Steven says as he wipes his mouth with a napkin. "She's still not sure what she should do."

"I'll figure something out eventually," I say as I wipe my mouth with a napkin.

"I'm sure you will," Mr. Stone says reassuringly with a smile.

"Some fruit for dessert," we hear Jenkins say as he walks in the dining room with a large silver platter.

He places the silver platter in the middle of us on the table. There are round slices of pineapple, slices of apple, two bunches of green grapes, strawberries, and slices of kiwi neatly displayed on the platter. I stare at the fruit's vibrant colors as Jenkins removes out dinner plates and replaces them with smaller ones to sue for the fruit. Once he's finished, I immediately begin to grab a bit of every fruit from the platter with my left hand and place it on the table. Jenkins, Steven and Mr. Stone watch me in wonder as I fill my small plate up with fruit. I freeze and look at them with wide eyes for a moment, and place my left hand on my lap.

"I'm sorry…" I say as I tilt my head down in a bit of embarrassment. "I…I just love fruit…"

Mr. Stone bursts out with a chuckle. Steven smiles warmly at me and chuckles as well.

"No need to apologize, Denise!" Mr. Stone exclaims. "You're a comical gal! Definitely Jonathan's daughter!"

I giggle as I place a strawberry in my mouth.

I'm in my guest bedroom, still wearing the over-sized black sweater but without the purple ribbon around my waist. It's dim in the room with only a lamp illuminating it that sits on top of the nightstand next to the bed. I pull the red ribbon from my hair and place it on top of the dresser next to the long piece of purple ribbon.

"This outfit is perfect for night outings," I say to myself as I flick some of my hair over my shoulder. "I can come back home after a long night and just turn it into pajamas!"

I begin to fix my bed sheets and pillow on the queen sized bed. The thick bed sheets are lavender colored with light streaks of sapphire and the pillow sheets match with the same design. I fix my black belt with my six Poké balls in their holsters on top of the mahogany dresser. I glance at my PokéNav beside my belt and see that it's 8:45p.m.

'Gotta make sure I get enough sleep…' I think to myself.

There's a knock on the door. I walk over to the door and open it a bit, peering out to see who it is. I look up and see that it's Steven holding my neatly folded clothing.

"Oh, hey, Steven…" I say in surprise as I open the door a bit more.

"Hi," he responds a bit nervously. "Jenkins asked me to bring you your freshly washed clothes."

"Oh , he did, did he?" I say thinking of Jenkins obvious intentions.

Steven hands me my folded clothes.

"Thank you, Steven," I say. "Sorry if I made it a bit awkward at the dinner table tonight…"

"What? No!" he nervously says. "There's nothing to be sorry about."

I hug my folded clothes and look down at the floor.

"Thank you for all your help and kindness…" I shyly say to him, keeping my gaze down. "I probably would've had something worse than a bruised arm."

"You're welcome…I'm glad I was able to save you…"

There's a moment of silence between us as we shyly look away from one another.

"You know…I feel like I know you…" I say as I look up at him. "I feel like I know you from somewhere…Like we've met before…"

Steven stares down at me with his pale turquoise eyes of his deeply.

"I think it's just déjà vu," I say with a laugh. "I tend to have that a lot."

We smile warmly at each other for a moment.

"Well, I'd better get some rest…" I say looking down.

"Yes, you need your rest with that injured arm," he adds, trying to hide his nervousness. "Sleep well, Denise."

"You too, Steven…" I say as I smile warmly at him.

He returns the smile and slowly walks away. I move back into the bedroom and close the door slowly, biting my lip as I gaze down at the floor.

'I can't develop feelings for him…' I think to myself. 'It wouldn't be right…He's Mr. Stone's son…I can't risk ruining the new relationship my father has established with Devon Corporation…'

I place my folded clothes on top of the dresser and make my way to the bed and climb under the covers. I reach over to the lamp on the nightstand to my right with my left hand and turn it off before laying down. The moonlight coming through the large window illuminates the room dimly.

'I probably won't see him again after I leave…' I think to myself as I stare at the ceiling. 'The real problem I should be focusing on is the situation with The Cult.'

I continue to stare sternly at the ceiling.

'I have to do something about it…I can't let this Damian and his organization ruin my father's work…my mother's work…Most of the research at Blaze Corporation is my mother's….I won't let them damage my mother's legacy and let them use my family's work for their crimes.'

I turn to the clock on the nightstand and see that it's 9p.m.

'I'll sneak out of here at midnight,' I think to myself as I gaze back up to the ceiling. 'I'm going to find this Damian and put an end to his schemes.'


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

I make my way down the dirt trail. The sound of nearby Taillow gliding through the trees is all I hear. I take my PokéNav out from my back jean pocket with my left hand and check the time.

"Hm…It's noon," I say to myself as I pull up the Hoenn map. "I left Stone Manor yesterday night…I probably gave them a big surprise…"

I continue to walk, fixing one of the straps of my backpack over my left shoulder.

"I don't know exactly where to go…But as long as I managed to run away from the Stone residence, I should be fine. I need to get away from them, Jason, and my dad…but especially Jason…"

I kick a pebble down the trail.

"They shouldn't be able to track me. I left my cell phone on the bed…I copied some of my contacts onto my small notepad in case I need them. I shut off my PokéNav's communication ability to prevent anyone from trying to get a hold of me through it...Good thing I withdrew more than enough cash at an ATM in Rustboro after sneaking out of Stone Manor. Now I don't have to worry about them tracking me through my transactions."

My stomach then growls deeply.

"I guess I should find a place to stop and eat…" I say as I rub my stomach. "I've finished the last of my snacks I bought in Oldale Town over an hour ago…"

I tuck the PokéNav back into my back jean pocket and look up. To my surprise, I spot a small house under a large tree that's surrounded by a five-foot white fence. I walk up to a sign that's about ten feet in front of the residence.

"Resting House…" I read the black printed letters on the sign. "Maybe I can stop here for a bit."

I open the small fence door and close it behind me as I make my way toward the porch steps. The wind chimes hanging on the porch ring as a gentle gust of wind blows. I reach the yellow door and ring the doorbell.

"I'll be right there!" I hear someone call out from inside.

After a few seconds, the door opens slowly. A short elderly woman with glasses smiles up at me as a Ralts stands next to her.

"Well, hello there, young lady," she greets. "Are you looking for a place where you and your Pokémon can rest?"

"Yes," I reply in relief. "May we rest here?"

"Of course! My home is open to trainers and travelers who are in need of a place to rest," she says as she opens the door all the way. "Please, come in!"

I bow my head to her and make my way inside her home.

"My name is Clarissa. You arrived at the right time," she says as she leads me through her living room and into her kitchen. "I've just finished making some of my best stew!"

I stop beside the wooden kitchen table as Clarissa walks over to the tall green pot on top of the stove.

"You can settle yourself at the table," she says as she stirs the large ladle in the stew. "And feel free to release your Pokémon out into the yard…There's plenty of space for them to run around along with numerous bowls of food for them."

"I'll do that," I say after setting my backpack on one of the kitchen chairs.

I walk to the back screen door of the kitchen that leads to the backyard. I head out down the porch stairs toward the small lake some fifteen away as I begin to take my Poké balls out from my belt holsters.

"Come on out, guys!" I say as I toss my Poké balls in the air.

Charizard, Blaziken, Mightyena, and Gardevoir appear on the ground while Swellow appears flying up in the air and Tentacruel appears in the lake.

"Go ahead and relax, everyone," I say as I catch the Poké balls in my arms. "I'll be inside. We'll stay here long enough to eat and rest before we head out."

They happily nod. I smile at them before turning around and heading back to the house. I walk up the porch steps and open the screen door as I walk inside.

"I've served some stew for you along with a glass of nice cold water," Clarissa says as she sits at the kitchen table and sips from a cup of tea.

"Thank you so much," I say as I sit at the seat across from her. "My Pokémon and I really appreciate your hospitality."

"I love helping trainers and travelers that pass through here. I would hate for them to not have a place to rest and food to eat, as well as their Pokémon."

I smile warmly at her as I stir the stew in my bowl with my spoon.

"What brings you out here?" Clarissa asks after sipping her tea.

"I'm looking for some people…" I answer before eating a mouthful of stew.

"A young lady like yourself should be careful. A group called The Cult has been reported to be very active around these parts."

I look up at her in surprise.

"The Cult operates around here?" I ask her. "Can you tell me what you know about them?"

"I've heard the group has a base somewhere near Slateport. It's a rumor…I've come across some travelers who have experienced being attacked or robbed by some of The Cult's goons."

"Do you by any chance know anything about their main base?" I ask after eating a spoonful of stew, wincing a bit from my right arm.

"No, I'm sorry, I don't," Clarissa says after sipping some of her tea. "You're not planning on going to them, are you?"

I look away from her as I place the spoon in my bowl.

"You could get hurt! These are dangerous men you're dealing with!" Clarissa warns. "You don't look too well with that bandaged arm of yours."

"I need to find them…" I say as I stir the spoon in my bowl. "I have business to deal with them…"

Clarissa stares at me with a worried gaze. I look over at Ralts who's standing beside me on my left. I smile as I pat it gently on the head, causing it to smile.

"I remember when my Gardevoir was just a Ralts," I say as I continue to pet Ralts. "It's amazing how far your Pokémon go and how much they grow."

Clarissa watches me with a warm gaze as I happily interact with Ralts.

"May I ask for your name?" Clarissa says.

"Oh, I apologize!" I say as I turn to her. "I'm Denise."

"Well, Denise…" she says after finishing her cup of tea. "There are a few bedrooms upstairs. Pick whichever one you'd like and stay for as long as you need to."

"I really appreciate it," I say to her with a smile.

My Pokémon and I are refreshed and ready to go after a nice two-hour break at Clarissa's home. I knocked out on one of the beds in a guest room. I've already returned my Pokémon back into their Poké balls and am set to go.

"Once again, I really appreciate you letting me and my Pokémon rest and eat here," I say as Clarissa and I are at the front porch steps. "You're doing such a wonderful deed."

"It's my pleasure to help others," she says.

I dig in my bag and pull out my red pouch full of money.

"There's no need to pay me," Clarissa says as she places her hands over my pouch. "I let people stay and eat here free of charge."

"Are you sure?" I ask.

"Just promise me you'll be careful when dealing with The Cult," she cautions with concern. "That's all I ask for."

She gently squeezes my hand as she gazes up at me with pleading eyes. My eyes turn from her hand to her warm, concerned face. Ralts walks over next to me and hugs my leg, causing me to smile.

"I'll be careful…" I say to her with a confident gaze and nod.

She smiles warmly at me and lets go of my hand. I place my pouch of money back inside my backpack and put it on, carefully putting my bandaged right arm through one of the straps. I turn and walk down the porch steps.

"Stay out of trouble, dear!" Clarissa calls out.

"You and Ralts take good care of yourselves!" I call out as I open the fence door and walk through.

"Goodbye, my dear!" Clarissa says as she and Ralts wave at me from the porch.

"Goodbye, Clarissa!" I say as I wave back and make my way down the trail.

I turn forward and gaze around me. The dirt trail is in the middle of the forest. After walking for a few minutes, I reach for my PokéNav in my back jean pocket with my left hand.

"Let's see…it's almost 3p.m…" I say as I check the time and pull up the map. "Slateport is just a few miles ahead like Clarissa said."

I stop in my tracks, tuck my PokéNav in my jean pocket, and take out one of my Poké balls.

"Alright, Charizard, let's do this!" I say as Charizard appears flying in the air.

Charizard glides a few feet close to the ground and I swiftly leap on his back.

"Slateport is just a few miles ahead," I say as we fly higher into the air. "Try to keep a bit low. Fly just above the trees in case we have anyone tailing us."

Charizard snorts and nods. With that, he swiftly flies a few feet above the trees. I wrap my arm around his long neck with my left arm as I gaze ahead.

"I can see Slateport from here," I say with a smile.

Charizard continues to fly for another few minutes before landing just outside of Slateport. I jump off Charizard and pat him on his neck.

"Thanks, bud," I say to him with a smile before returning him inside his Poké ball.

I turn my gaze ahead as I begin to walk into the city. People are strolling about, some carrying shopping bags and others empty handed. Cars drive by on the street. I make my way to the sidewalk and head down the large block.

"I should buy a jacket," I say to myself as I stop in front of a clothing store. "I won't be so recognizable, and I can wear it on chilly nights."

I head inside the clothing store through the large glass doors. A variety of different clothing is displayed around the store, divided by men's and women's.

"Hello! Welcome!" a woman greets me from the payment counter. "Can I help you find anything?"

"I'm looking for a jacket," I answer her.

"Follow me this way," she says with a smile as she leads me towards the back of the store.

I follow her through dozens of racks of different clothing. Quite a number of people are looking through clothes in the store. The woman stops around some racks and in a small area.

"This is our women's jacket section," she says.

"Thank you so much!" I say while looking around at the jacket racks.

"Not a problem! I hope you find what you're looking for," she says with a smile before walking off.

I glance around the different racks of jackets in amazement.

"So many different colors and styles…" I mutter.

I pull out a bright pink coat with a fuzzy lined hood.

"Oh gosh no…." I say with a grimace as I put it back on the rack.

I continue to look through some of the racks for a bit until a jacket catches my attention. I pull it out from the rack; it's a black hooded jacket that has long pockets on the sides. I take it and make my way to a nearby mirror.

"This one looks appealing," I say as I place my backpack on the small bench and take the hanger out of the jacket.

I slip the jacket on and zip it up. It reaches down to my calves and fits perfectly. I then unzip it and gaze into the mirror.

"I like it better if it's unzipped," I say as I notice the tag on the sleeve and read it. "Hm. The material can keep you cool but can also keep you warm when it's cold…And it's only $60."

I glance at myself in the mirror as I love how the black jacket matches well over my red shirt, black jeans, and two inch heel black ankle boots.

"It's a buy!" I say with a smile as I take it off and hold it in my arms.

I grab my backpack and make my way down through the racks of the store toward the front.

"The Cult is in town again," I hear a woman say, causing me to stop in my tracks.

"What? Are you serious?" the other woman says in surprise. "How do you know this?"

I casually make my way to a rack near the two conversing women and pretend to be looking through a rack of shirts.

"Yeah, my boyfriend works at the police station. He told me a Cult member was seen wandering around Slateport," the woman continues. "I get a lot of insider news from him…The Cult is a dangerous group."

The women continue to look through some folded clothes on some shelves. I stand there, staring at a random blouse in deep thought.

'There's a chance I can find a Cult member here…' I think to myself. 'I have to find out if there's a nearby research lab or a place that The Cult finds valuable.'

I make my way to the cashier at the front of the store.

"Found a jacket you like?" the cashier asks.

"Yes! This one is perfect," I say with a smile as I place the jacket on the counter.

"Great! I'll just remove the tag and scan the price," the cashier says as she scans the tag.

"Are there any interesting places to visit?" I ask innocently. "I'm visiting Slateport and want to go to check out any cool places."

"Oh! Well, there are lots of places to see here!" she replies as she types up some stuff on the cashier. "There's a boat house, a beautiful fountain by the amazing beach if you want to have a swim, the harbor, a museum…"

"Oh! A museum?" I say as I take my money pouch out of my backpack.

"Yes, the Oceanic Museum. It's a large two-floor museum located in the Eastern district of Slateport."

"Hm. I'll check it out after this!" I say as I hold my money. "What is the total?"

"Your total is $65.96," the cashier replies as she begins to take a plastic bag out.

"A plastic bag won't be necessary," I say as I place my hand on my new jacket. "I'll just wear it."

"Alright," the woman says as I hand her my money. "That's $70 in cash, and $4.04 is your change."

I take the change and stuff it in my red pouch and put it back in my backpack.

"The museum has a $5 entry fee, by the way," the cashier says. "You can walk up this street for three blocks and you'll be right in front of the museum."

"Ah, thanks for letting me know," I say as I finish putting my new jacket on without zipping it up.

"Thank you for your purchase! Enjoy your visit in Slateport!"

"Thank you!" I say as I put my backpack on and head out of the store.

I turn and head up the street like the cashier instructed.

'The museum should be a place that The Cult would take interest in,' I think to myself. 'I know they have valuable items there…Mom used to do research with them…'

I reach the end of the first block and hurry on to the next, passing through the city people.

'If I get my hands on a Cult member, I can get information about Damian and where the main base is…'

I place my hands in my jacket pockets and keep my gaze ahead. I grit my teeth at the bit of pain from my injured right arm.

'This jacket can cover my bandaged arm…If I don't cover it up, it can give me away if someone is out looking for me…'

After walking for about ten minutes, I reach the third block and see the museum. I quickly make my way up the stairs to the revolving doors and head inside.

"Welcome to the Oceanic Museum!" a woman with green hair greets me as she sits behind a reception desk.

"Hello," I greet back as I stop in front of the reception desk. "The entrance fee is $5, correct?"

"Yes, please," she responds as she stamps a paper.

I hand her a five dollar bill.

"Thank you! Here's your ticket for proof of payment," she says as she hands me a blue ticket and a pamphlet. "Enjoy your visit!"

I smile back at her with a nod before walking past the reception area. There are dozens of paintings in this first exhibit. Some are paintings of Water-type Pokémon and some are paintings of the oceanic floor. I stop in front of a grey Clamperl statue.

'Let's see where the labs are…' I say as I open the museum pamphlet and begin to read it. 'There are seven exhibits, each with a different piece of information about the sea…' I examine the small map of the museum on one of the pages. 'Looks like I'm gonna have to check out the second floor. Nothing seems to be on this main floor…'

I make my way to a staircase that leads up to the second floor and head up. Glancing around, I see different models of the Hoenn region and ships. Not many people are around. My eyes land on a corridor nearby. I walk over and head into it and hide behind a tall statue of a ship. There's a door at the other end of the short corridor with a sign that reads AUTHORIZED PERSONEL ONLY.

'Found the way to the lab,' I think to myself.

I then hear footsteps approaching the corridor. Two men walk into the corridor and head to the door. One is wearing a white lab coat and the other is wearing sunglasses and is in a brown jacket.

"You lead me right to Captain Stern," the man in sunglasses says. "Try anything funny and I'll use my taser gun on you."

The man in the lab coat nervously nods and opens the door by swiping a card on the lock. The door beeps and opens slowly by itself. The man in the sunglasses walks closely behind the scientist, holding the taser gun to the scientist's neck. Both of them walk through and head up some stairs. As soon as they disappear from sight, I swiftly run through the doorway they entered as the door closes itself behind me. I stop and hear the footsteps of the two men heading up the second flight of stairs and quietly follow after them. They walk through a door and into a hallway, me stealthily on their trail.

'This guy must be a Cult member,' I think as I watch them turn a corner.

I turn on the same corner and see them enter a room some ten feet down the hall. I quickly and quietly make my way over and stand with my back on the wall by the doorway.

"Who are you and what do you want?" I hear a different man say.

"Hand me the Devon and Blaze packages!" I hear the man in the sunglasses command. "Or your employee here is going to get hurt!"

"Alright, just stay calm…There's no need for anyone to get hurt…"

I hear some shuffling of items, probably boxes.

"Just let go of the scientist and you can have this box…"

"Are all the machine parts and documents in there?!"

"Yes, now take it and leave!"

I reveal myself at the doorway and the man with sunglasses stops in his tracks in the middle of the large office room.

"Who the hell are you?!" he says angrily.

"Return that box and leave," I say firmly.

"Listen, lady! Mind your damn business before you get hurt!"

The man then pulls out a Poké ball and releases a Manectric. It flattens its body a bit in a fighting stance, electricity sparking around its body.

"Go, Gardevoir!" I say after taking my Poké ball and holding it out.

Gardevoir appears and stands ready a few feet in front of me, gazing sternly at the Manectric.

"Charge Beam, Manectric!" the man commands.

The Manectric concentrates a bundle of electricity in its open mouth.

"Use Protect!" I call out to Gardevoir.

The Manectric fires a beam of electricity at us but Gardevoir forms a green, translucent shield wall in front of us. The beam of electricity reflects to the wall, blowing a hole in it to the outside. I cover my face from the bit of flying debris and dust, and so do the others in the room. I open my eyes quickly and see that the man with sunglasses isn't paying attention and Manectric is distracted too from the debris and dust.

"Gardevoir, quick! Use Confusion!" I call out.

Gardevoir stands ready and an aura of purple light forms in her eyes. The Manectric is surprised and the same aura of purple light appears in its eyes. It begins to struggle as it whimpers. After a few seconds, Manectric collapses on the floor, fainting. The man wearing the sunglasses grunts in anger as he returns the fainted Manectric to its Poké ball.

"Hypnosis," I tell Gardevoir.

The man with sunglasses freezes up and a blank expression appears on his face as he stands motionless. After closing and locking the office door behind me, I walk toward the motionless man, take the stolen package from him, and walk over to the scientist and the other man on the other side of the office.

"Do you happen to have any ropes?" I ask them with a smile as I set the package on the desk.

They stare at me, dumbfounded, but then notice that I'm friendly.

"Uh, no, but I have some duct tape," the man with short brown hair answers as he quickly opens and digs through a drawer in his desk.

He hands me the roll of duct tape, and I walk over to the motionless man with sunglasses and pull up a chair behind him.

"My apologies, Captain Stern, for the mess," I say as I push the man with sunglasses on the chair and begin to wrap duct tape around his wrists behind the back of the chair. "I didn't mean to cause such a wreck," I say glancing at the man with short brown hair.

"I'm sorry, but who are you?" Captain Stern asks in confusion.

"I don't have time to answer questions right now," I reply politely as I wrap some duct tape around the man's ankles and then around his torso, securing his body against the chair. "Don't worry. If this man cooperates, I should be gone in no time."

I see that the man with sunglasses is secured tightly to the chair. My eyes turn to a holster on his right thigh and see that the taser gun is sitting in it.

"Gardevoir, you can stop now," I say as I take the stun gun from the man's holster. "Thanks for your help," I say as I return Gardevoir back into her Poké ball.

The man pants and glances around in confusion, and I watch him as I place the Poké ball back in its holster on my belt.

"Hey…hey!" I say as I stand in front of him while taking his sunglasses off and wear them above my bangs. "You functioning?"

"Let me go, you brat!" the man grunts in anger as he tries to move. "You'll be sorry for messing with The Cult's plans!"

"Oh, so you _are _a Cult member," I say. "I got some questions and I need answers, quick. The police will be here soon, and I need to vanish before they do…So just be nice and answer me. Okay?"

"Go to hell!" he says with a glare.

"Hm…Your taser has multiple levels of shock…" I say as I stare at the taser in my hand. "I can switch it to levels that won't knock you out but can hurt…_a lot_."

The man looks up at me nervously while gritting his teeth. I lower the level of the taser and shock the man on his thigh. He winces in pain as he twitches a bit.

"Like I said, I'm in a hurry here," I say firmly. "The more you don't cooperate, the meaner I get. So you better start talking."

The man pants as he looks at the floor.

"Where can I find Damian?" I ask.

"He's checking on some stuff in one of our hideouts just outside Slateport…" the man answers, looking at the floor.

"Where's the hideout?"

The man looks away. I shock him on his other leg and he grimaces in pain.

"Five miles north of Slateport!" he quickly answers. "In a cave hidden in the forest…Follow the dirt trail north for five miles, then turn right…The cave is another mile from there…"

"Is that The Cult's main base?"

"Of course not…The cave hides a small base that's a checkpoint for us…"

"Where's the _main_ base?" I say leaning toward him.

"I ain't telling you anything else!" he answers in a hostile tone.

"I thought so," I say with a shrug.

I raise the level of the taser higher and shock his neck. He yelps out in pain before passing out, his head dropping down over his chest as his body twitches a bit.

"He'll be fine," I say to Captain Stern and the scientist. "Just have him turned in to the authorities."

We hear knocking on the office door.

"Police! Open the door!" we hear someone shout from the other side.

"Well, that's my cue to leave!" I say as I toss the taser on the office desk and walk toward the huge hole in the wall that leads outside. "Make sure you keep the box of Devon and Blaze equipment and documents secured," I say as I lift my right sleeve up and massage my aching right arm a bit.

"Uh, yes, of course," Captain Stern says as he gazes at my bandaged arm.

The police begin pounding on the door.

"Sorry again for the hole in the wall," I say glancing around at the huge hole.

"You saved us and the supplies," Captain Stern says. "Don't worry about it."

I take one of my Poké balls out from my holsters and release my Charizard from it. He lands in front of the hole in the wall and flaps his wings.

"Thanks!" I say to Captain Stern as I jump on Charizard's back.

After I wave Captain Stern and the scientist goodbye, Charizard quickly takes off. I hold on firmly to his neck as he flies at a high speed into the sky.

"We're heading five miles north of here," I tell Charizard. "A base that belongs to The Cult is a mile to the right after that."

Charizard nods as we fly over the large city. The wind blows through my hair and causes my unzipped black jacket to flutter on my sides.

'I couldn't risk telling Captain Stern my name…' I think to myself. 'He's very popular and would instantly recognize my name…He'd tell the authorities who I am, which would then leak to the media…And that can reveal my whereabouts.'

I pull my PokéNav out carefully with my right hand and pull up the map.

'The base should be here…' I think as I mark a flashing red destination point on the map.

After nearly ten minutes of flying, we finally reach the cave. Charizard lands twenty feet from the cave to hide behind some trees and bushes.

"Thanks, Charizard. I'll have to sneak in from here," I say as I return him into his Poké ball.

I kneel down behind some bushes and peer ahead to the entrance of the cave. There isn't any sign of anyone around, so I quickly sprint to the entrance of the cave. I glance around and see that it looks like any other normal cave. Nothing's out of the ordinary.

'Maybe there's a hidden entrance,' I think to myself as I stand behind a large boulder.

"What?! Nelson was caught by the police in Slateport?" I hear someone say outside the cave.

I quickly hide myself behind the rock in its shadows and peer at where the voice came from.

"Yeah, we gotta tell the boss!" a man says. "He sure won't be happy about this!"

The men are dressed in normal clothing wearing black sunglasses and walk to the end of the cave some ten feet away. One of them pushes a small rock on the cave wall, and some of the wall slides open. Both walk in and the wall closes after them.

'The fact that they wear everyday clothing makes them blend in well with the people,' I think to myself. 'That's probably why they are so disclosed…the only things that distinguishes them are those black sunglasses to hide their identities when infiltrating a place.'

I then remember the sunglasses over my bangs that I took from the Cult member at the museum.

"Good thing I kept these!" I mutter as I put them on.

I then make my way to the entry where the Cult members entered and push the same rock they did. The entry opens up and I make my way inside. I glance around and see that I'm now in what appears to be the inside of a normal building. There aren't any Cult members around, so I casually make my way down the hallway. I turn a corner and see a room labeled LAB on the front of the door.

'Maybe I can find some useful information here…' I say as I quickly open the door.

I walk into the room and close the door behind me. After taking the sunglasses off, I glance around and see it's a large laboratory. A large machine attached to a large computer screen is to the left. I place the glasses above my bangs as I lay my eyes on small devices lined up on racks.

"These devices aren't complete…" I say to myself. "They look like helmets…for _what_?"

I make my way to a large table with papers strewn about on it.

"These are copies of documents from Devon and Blaze Corporations…" I say as I examine the papers. "Devon blueprints…Blaze Research…"

A paper in under some other ones catches my attention.

'A map…' I think as I grab and examine it. 'It marks all the cities where The Cult is planning on infiltrating…'

I fold the map and slip it into my jacket pocket.

'Now I know where I can find them next…'

"What do you think you're doing?" I hear a voice say from behind me.

I am startled and turn around quickly. A man dressed in a maroon suit is standing some fifteen feet away. He's a light-skinned, blue eyed man with short, spiked black hair.

"Damian…" I say recognizing him from the headshot Kennedy showed us back at Devon Corporation.

"Hm? So you know who I am," he says with a stern gaze. "And who are you? Part of the task force?"

"I'm here to put a stop to your plans! Why are you stealing from Devon and Blaze?"

"Both corporations have valuable technology and research….Professor Howard-Blaze's research is of much importance for my plans…"

I grit my teeth as I stare at him.

"How'd you find this hideout?" he asks calmly.

"One of your men told me after I stopped him at the Oceanic Museum…He was stealing from Captain Stern."

"So _you're_ the girl who's meddling with my business…You also stopped one of my men in Rustboro at Devon Corporation."

"What are you plotting?" I ask in aggravation.

"Complete domination," he answers as he walks over near some racks where the incomplete devices are. "These are prototypes of what I'm building. When attached to Pokémon, these devices can enhance their abilities and allow complete control over them. I'll find the strongest and rarest Pokémon to control and have everyone at my mercy."

"I won't let you use my parents' work for your evil plans!" I say clenching my fists.

"Your parents'?...Ah, so you must be Denise Blaze," Damian notes with a smirk. "I have heard about you and your brother, Jason."

Multiple men enter through a sliding door behind Damian.

"Boss! What's going on?" one of them asks. "Hey! She's the one who stopped me in Rustboro!"

I stare at them with a firm gaze.

"I can finish what I started in Granite Cave!" he says as he takes a Poké ball and releases his Tyranitar.

I take one of my Poké balls out and release my Charizard. He stands in front of me, spreading his wings out and roaring.

"Stand down, Scott," Damian commands. "We're in the lab, you idiot!"

I glance around the lab at all the machines and documents and have an idea.

"I won't let you go through with your plans!" I shout firmly. "Charizard, use Fire Blast!"

Charizard releases an intense blast of fire, hitting Tyranitar directly and sending it flying back. Damian and his men quickly jump out of the way as Tyranitar flies past them and crashes directly into a machine.

"Now use it again at the machines!" I call out to Charizard.

Charizard turns and begins to release intense blasts of fire at the machines, causing them to blow up in flames and make the area tremble. An alarm begins to sound and a red light begins to flash.

"Foolish girl! You hit one of the reactors!" Damian yells out. "This place is going to explode!"

"That was the plan," I respond.

Damian growls through his teeth as he gives me a hostile gaze.

"You've made a terrible mistake getting in my way," he warns. "This isn't the last time I'll see you."

"Oh, you can count on that," I respond sternly.

Damian stares at me with the same hostile gaze.

"Boss, we gotta go! This place is going to blow!" Scott yells after he returns his fainted Tyranitar to its Poké ball.

Damian turns his gaze from me and runs to a different sliding door with his men behind him. I run forward to chase them, but a piece of the ceiling collapses in front of the door, blocking my way.

"We have to get out of here!" I tell Charizard while standing next to him as I look around at the trembling and collapsing lab.

A piece of the ceiling collapses a few feet away from me. Charizard grunts and turns his gaze up to the ceiling. He blasts a large ball of fire, blowing a hole through the ceiling and making an exit with flames around the edges of it. He embraces me and flies straight up toward the hole in the ceiling. Just before we reach it, Charizard wraps his wings around me to protect me from the flames, and glides through the hole. Charizard opens his wings from around me and flies away from the top of the cave. I gaze down at the cave as it begins to shake and blow up from different areas. The impact from the explosion blows us into the trees. Charizard holds me tightly in an embrace, making his back turn so that he takes the impact from crashing through a tree branch. We hit the ground, Charizard sliding through the dirt and making a deep trail. We come to a halt after a few feet and Charizard and I open our eyes.

"Charizard, are you okay?!" I ask in concern as I lay on top of him, wincing from the pain in my injured right arm.

He lets out a low roar and nods with a reassuring gaze, and then looks at my injured arm as I hold it while grimacing.

"It just hurts from the impact with our landing," I reply while holding my right arm. "No need to worry."

I climb off of Charizard and he sits up. We've landed in the middle of the forest, hidden under the many trees some thirty feet from the now smoldering cave.

"Just relax for now, buddy," I say as I pat Charizard's head with my left hand. "I need to relax too to deal with my aching arm."

I force a smile through my grimace to prevent Charizard from worrying. There's a sound of helicopters nearby and we look up to see where they're at. We spot three helicopters flying in a triangular formation away from the site.

"Looks like they made it out," I say as I stare at the helicopters sternly.

Charizard grunts angrily as he stares up at the helicopters as well.

"Don't worry…We'll be seeing them again, soon," I say as I pull out the map in my pocket.


End file.
